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 Raymond Burr
N 49° 13.341 W 122° 53.892
10U E 507412 N 5452178
Best known for his portrayal of Perry Mason from 1957-66 and Ironside from 1967-75
Waymark Code: WM46Z2
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 07/16/2008
Views: 83
Raymond William Stacy Burr was born in New Westminster, B.C. on May 21, 1917. His parents divorced in 1923 and his mother took the young Raymond to California. He developed a desire to act during his teens when he did some acting in theatre.
World War II interrupted his career when he joined the Navy. Returning to the US when he was wounded in Okinawa. His first film San Quentin was released in 1946, but his career really started to take off in 1948 when he appeared in 9 films. He career would span 6 decades and he would work right up till his death in 1993. He died of cancer at his ranch in California on September 12, 1993.
Description:
He was a well known actor, both in film and on television. Although he is most remembered for his work on the small screen. He received 2 Emmy Awards for his work on Perry Mason.
He received an Honorary Degree from the University of British Columbia: quoted from the UBC web page.
THE TITLE AND DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF LETTERS (honoris causa) CONFERRED AT CONGREGATION, JUNE 1, 1989
RAYMOND BURR
Mr. Chancellor, local history does not record the size of the audience who saw Raymond Burr's first performance, as a 12-year old, with a stock company in Vancouver. But we know that, at the height of his career, he was attracting weekly audiences of 30 million viewers to see him as Perry Mason - a show which has the distinction of being one of television's longest-running series, and which won for him an award in 1960 as the most popular male television personality. He combines this extraordinarily high level of visibility with an equal measure of versatility in more than ninety films, playing psychopathic killers with as much conviction as their opposite numbers in his roles as District Attorney. Here is surely an actor for all seasons of the moral life, a winner of two Emmy awards for best actor, and the role-model for several generations of aspiring courtroom space. We honour him as a dedicated performer who has the rare distinction of appropriating the fictional life of the lawmen he impersonates and becoming the reality of his roles. As the wheelchair-bound Detective Ironside, he has identified with those who have suffered similar injuries and has actively promoted spinal-cord research - proof that the integrity of his characters is happily matched by his personal generosity to our community. Born in New Westminster, he has maintained his connections with British Columbia through his charitable work for the Royal Columbian Hospital. I invite you, Mr. Chancellor, to bestow the degree Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, upon this inspiring personality in the performing arts, and possibly the greatest practitioner of courtroom technique in forensic history - RAYMOND BURR.
Date of birth: 05/21/1917
Date of death: 09/12/1993
Area of notoriety: Entertainment
Marker Type: Headstone
Setting: Outdoor
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Not listed
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